Christmas

For the Kids:

You better watch out!

Better not cry!

Better not pout!

I'm telling you why,

Santa Claus is comin' to town.

He's making a list

and checking it twice.

He's going to find out who's naughty and nice.

Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town.

For the Adults:

You better watch out!

Better not cry!

Better not pout!

I'm telling you why,

Jesus Christ is comin' to town.

He's making a list

and checking it twice.

He's going to find out who's naughty and nice.

Jesus Christ Is Comin' To Town.

The only way to challenge a myth is to confront it with another, more compelling myth. One moves, not from falsehood to truth, but from one god--or baseball team--to another.

[fast forward to postmodern world]

Nihilism too is a culminating mythology of a long skeptical tradition that says that there is no meaning in an otherwise objective or neutral universe without purpose. Ironically, the myth of a meaningless universe is itself a way of infusing meaning into the experience of meaninglessness. According to this myth, we gain authenticity, dignity, and meaning by honestly and bravely accepting that the universe is without intrinsic meaning. The myth tells us that we are superior to those who live false, inauthentic lives by believing in one myth or the other, whether that myth be the American Dream or a socialist revolution. There's nobility and art in creating meaning in an otherwise meaningless universe. Paradoxically, a mythic strategy is effective for investing life with meaning even when the myth is telling us there is no meaning.